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[Picture to the left]
Elizabeth Hassall had been a devoted and busy supporter
of her husband's activities. She was famous for her open
house and hospitality and was noted as a thrifty housewife
renowned for her baking and preserving. She had not lost
her skill in silk weaving and ''had beautiful hands and kept
them in fine order''. When there was ''a special order for
ribbons for bridals she finished the tiny edges''.102

In 1805 she had the misfortune of breaking her arm when
her chaise overturned near Parramatta when the horse took
fright. She was carrying one of her babies (probably six
month old Eliza) who was reported to be severely hurt.

Elizabeth Hassall developed business interests in her
own right. In 1821 eight cows were issued to her in return
for premesis relinquished by her husband in the service of
the government. She became a shareholder in the Bank of
New South Wales in 1823. She engages in philanthropic
works by supplying books to the Male Orphan Institution.
She assisted Elenor Diggin to a place in the female Orphan
Institution and subscribed to a fund to donate money to Ann
Curtis after her brewhouse was destroyed.103

She constantly was responsible for the supervision of assigned servants and continued to
receive them well after her husband's death. In fact her treatment of the family' domestic servants
extended into at least one case in which she erected a tombstone in the St Patrick's cemetary at
Parramatta inscribed:

JOHN CORMICHAN
departed this life
23rd 1828 servant to Mr.
Roland Hassall and Fam
ily 12 years.104

She was affected by the robbery from her premesis by Job Smith, a former servant, who was
later tried in 1822 by the bench of Magistrates and sentenced to 100 lashes and fourteen days on
bread and water. In 1822 two others, Edward McCabe and James Martin, were convicted of

102 Bathurst National Advocate, memories of C. A. Campbell, Dandenong, Victoria.
103 Colonial Secretary's Correspondence, various reels.
104 Dunn, Judith, 8 Prune Street, Wentworthville, N.S.W., letter to author.

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